6 Brexit Questions The Government Still Needs To Answer

Boris Johnson is set to make a major speech on Brexit this week in an attempt to reshape the tone of the UK’s departure from the European Union.

It is believed he is the first of several Cabinet ministers to give speeches on Brexit in the next few weeks, ahead of a Government ‘away day’ on the issue.

While sweeping statements promoting the bright future which awaits the UK outside the EU have their uses, it would perhaps be better if the Government started filling in some of the very sizeable gaps in exactly what happens after Brexit.

In Boris Johnson’s response on Twitter, he said leaving the customs union would give the UK “new export opportunities”, but failed to properly set out why leaving the trading bloc now was preferable to staying in.

So why is the UK leaving the customs union, and potentially erecting trade barriers with 27 countries? The theoretical reason has been set out, but it seems the CBI’s point that trade outside the union will not replace that from inside has yet to be addressed.

While David Davis gives the impression this will only impact a handful of sectors, there are actually more than 140 aspects of the economy, public services and the environment where there is currently cooperation on a North-South basis.

Will there be mass alignment on regulations which the UK no longer has a say over? Will there have to be some infrastructure installed in order to carry out customs checks? Will the border become a “smugglers charter” after Brexit, as one Irish politician claimed?

3) What trade deal do we want with the EU? Give specifics, not soundbites.

Theresa May likes to talk about a “deep and special partnership” with the EU, but it is unclear exactly what the means.

She is very clear about what the trade deal will not be – Canada or Norway – but detail is lacking on what a comprehensive free trade agreement with the EU will look like.

Will the financial sector still abide by EU rules in order to access the markets? Will the UK have to pay in to get that access? Are there any other sectors where the UK will follow EU rules? Will the UK allow European vessels to fish in its waters, or will the territory be offered up as part of the negotiations?

4) What if those leaked forecasts are even a bit true? What’s the plan to help the regions affected?

Even if the UK was to strike a deal with Brussels, the North East could still take an 11% hit.

The Brexiteers place no great stock in forecasts. Brexit Minister Steve Baker even told MPs they are “always wrong” as he dismissed claims the UK’s economic growth would be hit outside of the EU.

But what if the reports are right? Perhaps not down to the final decimal place of the predicted economic hit, but broadly in the right direction? Does the Government have a plan to protect these areas from a downturn?

That argument can be extended to industries and sectors set to lose out on funding from the EU – including research and agriculture. Will these payments be protected by the Government? The electorate was told the UK would be £350million a week better off after Brexit – how is that money going to divvied up?

5) What immigration system will the UK have after Brexit?

It was one of the most high-profile issues of the EU referendum campaign, but since the vote, seems to have dropped down the political agenda.

This most controversial of issues deserves a considered solution, which is why the public will probably have to wait for the conclusions of the Migration Advisory Committee. The body was set up by Home Secretary Amber Rudd in July 2017, and is set to report back in September – seven months before the scheduled date for Britain’s formal departure from the EU in March 2019.

That’s cutting it close.

6) Is there actually time to do all this?

The clock is ticking. It has been nearly a year since Article 50 was triggered, and there are still numerous issues to be resolved.

Does the Government even have the people-power to reach all the necessary conclusions and then implement them? A new immigration system, trade negotiations, and financial allocations all take a lot of bureaucracy – something which leaving the EU was supposed to free the UK from.

Is there going to be a mass recruitment drive of civil servants? Will the Home Office be able process residency applications from 3million EU citizens living in the UK within two years after Brexit? Does the implementation period need to be longer than two years?